War and prejudice: A study of social values, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation

Examined the extent to which prejudice is best predicted by right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and the social values national strength and order and international harmony and equality. We measured attitudes to the Iraq war and people of Middle Eastern descent among a community sample of Australian adults (N = 148) residing in a large population centre of New South Wales. No significant differences in attitudes were evident between respondents who provided data prior to the commencement of the war and those who provided data after this date. Multivariate analyses revealed attitudes to people from the Middle East to be significantly affected by age and level of education. Structural equation modelling found support for the hypothesis that values predict RWA and SDO and that these, in turn, predict attitudes. These results are discussed with reference to the nature of RWA and SDO as well as the important role that values play in shaping prejudicial attitudes.